Two first-of-a-kind projects in Pennsylvania are trying to replace power generation with power reduction to balance the grid. If they can turn lots of equipment down with the accuracy and speed necessary to match the big natural gas-fired turbines that do the job today, they stand to make a good deal of money at it, too.

Startups Viridity Energy and Enbala Power Networks are behind the two projects, which Mid-Atlantic grid operator PJM announced Tuesday morning. They’re the first under a new PJM program that lets small-scale (100 kilowatts to 500 kilowatts) projects sell their power into frequency regulation markets, which balance the ups and downs of grid frequency on a second-by-second basis.